by Jordan Barham
About seven years ago, my uncle married a Jehovah’s Witness. At first, my family thought that she was a Christian but as we got to know her we realized something. Even though she said Jesus was her savior, she had faith in a totally different Jesus. First and foremost, her Jesus was never human. This led me and the rest of my family to study some important doctrines Christians often take for granted.
The Nativity, for example, makes perfect sense to those like myself who were raised in a Christian home; but to people outside of Christianity, even those that claim to be part of the church, it can raise some serious questions: “Wait, if he was a human baby, was he still God?” “But you said that we can’t be with God because his glory would destroy us. Why didn’t Mary die from her own child’s glory?” When we as Christians encounter people with questions about the very core of our religion, Jesus himself, we must be able to provide a clear defense for our faith.
“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sin” Matthew 1:21
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“And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased’”
Mark 1:11
Firstly, it is important to understand that Jesus has two natures, divine and human. Though some think that he had only one nature, a human that had been deified or god inhabiting a human body, that is a terrible mistake. A two-fold nature is a concept that we, as humans, can never experience for ourselves making it difficult to understand. Nevertheless, it is an integral part of the Christian faith, so we must do our best to grasp this concept.
Jesus is God
“I and the Father are one” John 10:30
Throughout the New Testament the authors and Jesus himself affirm that Jesus is fully God. In John 1:1 the apostle states, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” A few verses later in John 1:14 we see that “the Word” is actually Jesus: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
According to renowned author and pastor, R.C. Sproul, “God did not stop being God when He took on a human nature in Jesus.” He was, and always will be, almighty God untainted by human sin. This is again confirmed by Colossians 2:9 which says that “the fullness of deity dwells in Jesus.” Jesus is truly God.
Jesus is Man
“But emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” Philippians 2:7-8
But if Jesus had the full power of God, why weren’t his disciples and all who saw him immediately incinerated by his holiness and glory? Did he make himself some sort of lesser god when he became human? In an article about this topic, John Piper suggests that, “the incarnate Christ in the gospel of John has a divine nature, he’s fully God. On the other hand, there were aspects of his glory which he had laid aside.”
But when Jesus came to Earth, he didn’t come as the creator God, but as a baby. He was still fully God but also fully man as well. Philippians 2:7-8 say that Jesus was born a human and lived as a human. R. C. Sproul says “However, when He took flesh, a human nature, He did not deify that human nature. That human nature remained human.” Jesus was born as a human, He worked with his hands for most of his life for a living as a human, and He died hanging from the cross as a human. When Jesus came to Earth, he forsook neither his Godhood or his manhood.
Why We Need a Two-Fold Savior
“There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ” 1 Timothy 2:5
Ok, so Jesus is fully God and fully man. Why does that matter? Couldn’t Jesus have died on the cross as just God or as a mere man? What is so important about this doctrine that any differing belief is labeled heresy and stripped of the title of true Christianity? This principle is key because of the simple reason that, if changed, all who trust in Jesus along with the rest of humanity would be doomed to hell.
If Christ was not both God and man his sacrifice would not be sufficient. God would be proved a liar; for he promised eternal life to those who trust in him (Jn 3:16). Once more we ask, why? Why wouldn’t he be able to save us? In Romans 3:23 it says that, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and in Romans 6:23 it says that “the wages of sin is death.” Every time a human sins and disobeys God, a death penalty is added to their name. No matter what good we may do, that charge stays. As a race, Humanity has a debt to God, and the payment is the wrath of God and death.
The debt is humanity’s so it must be paid by a human. And so, if Jesus was not human, his death would not have paid our debt but some non-existent debt to himself. But, on the other hand, if Jesus was only human he would first be subjected to sin like the rest of us and even if he was perfect his sacrifice would have only saved himself.
But Jesus didn’t die in vain. No, he lowered himself to the form of a human and bore the wrath of God for humanity’s sins. He did this so that whoever acknowledges Him as king and trusts in his sacrifice will have their sin washed away and be destined for eternity with him. No, his sacrifice was not pointless because in it he became the one mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5); our Savior.
Where To Go From Here
“But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” 1 Peter 3:15
So what now? We have just seen that Jesus is both God and man, and we have learned how that is important. But how can we practically use that knowledge in our everyday life? To begin with, we can see the message that the knowledge itself has: if Jesus really is who he says he is, we should drop everything and follow him. Furthermore, those who already follow can take heart that Jesus truly is God, has actually saved us, and is wholly worthy of all our praise.
Finally, Christians should take the initiative to study and secure their knowledge of the God they worship enough that when confronted by those that would deny the Trinity, can firmly and lovingly correct others, hopefully bringing them back to the truth. So as Jesus himself commands in his last moments on Earth, go and spread the Gospel and live as a light for God in this dark world.
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